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Nationals' Andrew Alvarez: Effective in abbreviated start
Rotowire
Alvarez took a no-decision Monday against the Royals, allowing one run on five hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out five.
It was somewhat surprising to see Alvarez, who threw a season-high 90 pitches his last time out, get pulled after tossing just 58 pitches (40 strikes) Monday, but the hurler was nonetheless highly effective. The 27-year-old southpaw has yet to pitch at least five innings in 2026, though he's still managed to fan at least five in five of his eight outings. Alvarez is next set to bring a 3.49 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB over 28.1 frames into a tough road matchup in Tampa Bay.
Vivas is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.
Vivas will retreat to the bench after he had started at second base or third base in five of the previous six games while going 4-for-15 with one walk, two RBI and one run during that span. The Nationals still appear to view Nasim Nunez and Curtis Mead as the preferred options at the keystone and hot corner, respectively, so Vivas will likely be in line for just a part-time role when Washington is at full strength.
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Nationals' Keibert Ruiz: Goes yard in three-hit day
Rotowire
Ruiz went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Sunday's win over the Mariners.
The backstop capped his first multi-hit performance in June with a seventh-inning solo shot off Michael Rucker. Since the beginning of May, Ruiz is slashing a stunning .349/.367/.640 over 90 plate appearances with five of his six long balls on the season, along with 10 doubles, one steal, 16 runs and 20 RBI in 25 contests.
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Nationals' Jacob Young: Bangs out two doubles in rout
Rotowire
Young went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Mariners.
The 26-year-old center fielder continues to flash some new-found power. Over 12 games in June, Young is slashing .265/.265/.529 with five of his nine hits (two doubles, two triples and a homer) going for extra bases. Young's 37.1 percent hard-hit rate, 6.9 percent barrel rate and 89.3 mph average exit velocity on the year would all be career highs, and his 12.0 degree launch angle is a huge improvement on the 4.0 and 3.8 degree marks he produced the prior two seasons.
Wood went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI, a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-1 win over the Mariners.
Wood matched a season high in total bases Sunday, also pushing his hitting streak up to six games in his seventh effort of the year with at least three hits. The star outfielder has mashed three homers in his past four contests, and he is now slashing .281/.414/.558 with 20 long balls, 46 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 66 runs scored over 336 plate appearances in 2026.
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Nationals' Miles Mikolas: Faring better in bulk relief
Rotowire
Mikolas (2-5) notched the win Sunday against the Mariners, allowing no runs on three hits and no walks in seven innings of relief. He struck out three.
After beginning the season in the rotation, Mikolas has been far more effective behind an opener in 2026. The 37-year-old right-hander has an 8.28 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 19:1 K:BB over 25 frames as a starter, but he sports a 3.56 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB across 43 innings as a bulk reliever. Given his stark splits depending on how he's deployed, the Nationals figure to continue using Mikolas behind an opener during his next scheduled outing in Tampa Bay.
Susana threw from a mound this week for the first time since undergoing lat surgery last September, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The Nationals' pitching prospect still has a long way to go in his recovery, however. Susana will continuing his throwing progression at the team's spring training complex in Florida, and as yet there's no target date for him to return to game action.
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Nationals' Curtis Mead: On bench Sunday
Rotowire
Mead is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Mead has gone 2-for-17 with a walk and a homer in his past five games and will hit the bench for Sunday's series finale. Jorbit Vivas will take over at third base and bat eighth against Seattle righty Emerson Hancock.
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Nationals' Miles Mikolas: Handling bulk-relief role
Rotowire
Mikolas is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opener PJ Poulin in Sunday's game against the Mariners, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
Mikolas will be making his sixth straight appearance as a bulk reliever, this time working behind Poulin after lefty Richard Lovelady served as the Nationals' opener in Mikolas' previous turn through the rotation. The veteran right-hander has gone 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB in 25 innings over his last five outings.
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Nationals' PJ Poulin: Working as opener Sunday
Rotowire
Poulin will serve as the Nationals' opener for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
Poulin will draw his eighth start of the season, and just like on the previous seven occasions, he's expected to cover no more than two innings. Miles Mikolas is slated to work in bulk relief behind Poulin.
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Strikes out five in fourth win
Rotowire
Cavalli (4-4) notched the win Saturday against the Mariners, allowing three runs on four hits and no walks in five innings. He struck out five.
Cavalli cruised through four scoreless innings but stumbled in the fifth, when Seattle tagged him for three runs. The 27-year-old right-hander has now fired at least five frames in seven straight starts, and he's given up more than three runs just twice all season. Cavalli will carry a decent 3.98 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 81:25 K:BB across 74.2 innings into his next scheduled start in Tampa Bay.
Young isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mariners.
Young will move to the bench to begin Saturday's game after going 0-for-3 with a couple of strikeouts Friday. Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews and James Wood will form Washington's outfield unit while Young rests.
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Nationals' Keibert Ruiz: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Ruiz isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Seattle.
Ruiz went 0-for-3 during Friday's loss, snapping a five-game hitting streak, and will begin Saturday's contest on the bench while Drew Millas catches for starting pitcher Cade Cavalli.
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Nationals' PJ Poulin: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Nationals recalled Poulin from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.
Poulin will return to Washington's bullpen after giving up three earned runs in five innings since his demotion to Triple-A in late May. The 29-year-old southpaw owns a 3.28 ERA and 1.46 WHIP through 24.2 frames with the Nationals this season and will presumably work in middle relief as long as he's with the big club.
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Nationals' Dylan Crews: Pops third homer
Rotowire
Crews went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Mariners.
The 24-year-old outfielder got hold of a 3-0 fastball from Bryce Miller to lead off in the eighth inning and crushed it 440 feet to center field. Crews is still struggling to find his footing in the majors, slashing .189/.241/.324 through 20 games since being called up in mid-May with three homers, two steals, eight runs and eight RBI.
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